1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to decorative candles and more specifically to candles which include a decorative, combustible material surrounding their lower portion.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the past, it has been desirable to decorate candles with a variety of materials to add a texture, scent, or additional decorative features. Candles have been decorated with stones, potpourri, and a variety of other particulate materials, such as cocoa powder. Other types of decorations which have been desirable have included messages on paper and the like. Many of these materials can catch fire when exposed to a flaming wick. Examples of references which disclose the desirability of including these types of materials are the patents to Cassimatis, U.S. Pat. No. 2,122,451; Weglin, U.S. Pat. No. 2,817,225; Frederics, U.S. Pat. No. 3,175,876; Lundbom, U.S. Pat. No. 3,983,677; Pitchford, U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,640; and Karp, U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,233, as well as the design patents to Seaver, U.S. Design Pat. No. 111,775; McKenzie et al., U.S. Design Pat. No. 178,200; Kranz, U.S. Design Pat. No. 173,759; and Osland et al., U.S. Design Pat. No. 370,067.
A problem which has been found when this type of material is used in a candle is that the decorative, combustible material added to the candle can come into contact with the flame when the candle is burning, thereby causing a fire. Of particular note is the problem that wax or other fuel which is used to make the candle can melt away from the combustible material, allowing the combustible material to fall into the pool of molten fuel which is near the flame. When this occurs, the combustible material can fall into or float to a position near the flame and either catch fire or become a secondary wick supporting an additional flame, which is undesirable and unsafe.
A possible, but impractical, solution to these problems would be to use candles, which include this type of material, only as decorative articles and not burn them. However, since a primary purpose of candles is to generate light, such a solution would be unacceptable to consumers.
Another possible solution is to cover the combustible material by a non-flammable shielding, such as was shown in the above-cited Pitchford disclosure. However, such a design would be unattractive in the majority of cases, as the non-flammable material would become exposed during the burning of the candle. Since candles have a decorative purpose, an unattractive candle is not a practical option.
Another option is to design the candle such that the wax does not burn to the edges, such as was shown in the above-cited patent to Karp. While this may be workable in some instances, it creates waste which is not desirable. In addition, a cylinder of wax surrounding the lit wick is not desirable and may cause the candle to burn improperly. The use of such a design can also create problems for a user who may be unable to light the candle once it burns down several inches.
Another option is to avoid combustible materials in a candle, such as was done by Lundbom. However, this solution is really not a solution at all, since it is desirable to use some combustible materials in a candle because of their aesthetic value.
What is needed, therefore, is a candle which is designed such that a combustible material can be used as a decorative feature on a candle while minimizing the probability of the combustible material becoming a secondary wick or catching fire. The present invention minimizes that risk.